


letters from mingyu

by changwon



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 12:03:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11013042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changwon/pseuds/changwon
Summary: sometimes the ocean is one's greatest enemy.wonwoo receives letters from mingyu that don't exist.





	letters from mingyu

it was wonwoo’s job to collect the mail everyday. there was always a lot, for his parents and sister, but never for him. he’d never expected to receive any sort of letter, but he did.

it had been a week since mingyu left, with no goodbye. the locals said his parents took him away to search for a better life. they took him across the ocean. 

 

dear wonwoo,

i hope you are doing alright. i’m lonely without you and i hope we see each other again soon. i’m sorry i left but my parents said we’d be happier like this. i’ll write letters to you all the time, i promise. i won't forget you.

your friend, mingyu

 

wonwoo felt relieved. he knew mingyu would never leave him like that. he knew they’d be friends forever, even with a big, terrifying ocean separating them.

wonwoo ran to his father’s office. “look, dad. mingyu wrote me a letter.”

“boys don’t write letters.” his father replied, taking the letter from his son’s hand.

“sure they do. look.” wonwoo responded. 

his father shook his head, reading over the letter. “don’t let him fool you, son. if he left just like that, clearly he wasn’t the friend you thought he was.”

the young boy looked down at the floor. “but it says there… he won’t forget me. he’ll always be my friend.” 

“he’s selfish. and so are his parents… just leaving like that. all his grandmother does is cry all day. haven’t you seen?” the boy’s father responded, handing his son the letter and turning back to his work at his desk.

wonwoo left the office without a word. he folded the letter, putting it into the pocket of his shorts and riding his bicycle to mingyu’s house. or… his old house.

on the porch, mingyu’s grandmother sat, crying softly.

“m-mingyu wrote me a letter.” the boy said softly, taking it out of his pocket.

mingyu’s grandmother looked up. “oh, my boy. you were his best friend, weren’t you? i’m sure you miss him so much. i can’t believe the ocean would just take him like that…” 

“do you know where he is? where he traveled to, or what he’s doing, or if he is safe, or…” 

“no one knows. no one knows anything.” the woman said, voice soft and broken.

wonwoo nodded, peddling away on his bicycle. 

no one knows.  
no one knows anything.

no one knows.  
no one knows anything.

surely mingyu arrived to wherever he was traveling, if he was able to send a letter, but where could he be? wonwoo prayed his friend was safe, and happy, wherever he ends up. 

the boy entered his father’s office once again.

“could i borrow a pencil, and a piece of paper?”

“don’t tell me you’re going to write back to that kid, wonwoo.”

“i just want to know how he’s doing.”

“do you know where he is?” his father asked, handing him a paper and a sharp yellow pencil.

those words rang in wonwoo’s head again. “no one knows. no one knows anything.”

dear mingyu,

they keep saying you’re selfish. tell me you’re not. tell me you didn’t want to leave. i don’t want to believe that you’ll forget me. i don’t care if the ocean took you, we’ll be friends forever. tell me it's true… tell me the ocean doesn’t mean anything to you, or our friendship. i miss you. 

your best friend, wonwoo

 

wonwoo sat on the breakwater, watching over it. the thing separating him from the person who meant most to him. 

he looked up at the sky.

he asked the clouds.  
he asked the sun.  
he asked the seagulls.  
he asked himself…

why did the ocean take his best friend? why did it hurt so much?

he felt sick, watching the waves. like they were mocking him, and laughing. laughing because they took his friend, and his happiness. laughing because wonwoo knew that mingyu was out there, but he couldn’t go and get him. 

wonwoo was supposed to be a man. he was supposed to be strong, and not be phased by things like this. that’s how he was taught. 

boys don’t cry. especially not because of other boys. 

when wonwoo got home, he saw there was a letter on the table waiting for him.

 

dear wonwoo,

i didn’t want to leave. don’t listen to those people. i’m not selfish, and i don’t care about that ocean. it doesn’t matter where you are or where i am, you’re my best friend. don’t listen to those people. get upset with anyone who says those things. they don’t know me like you do. i miss you, and take care of yourself.

still your friend, mingyu

 

boys don’t cry, but wonwoo does. he feels hot tears running down his cheeks. he wipes his face angrily and goes off to his room.

 

dear mingyu,

i knew they were wrong. i know you will care about me forever, just like i will for you. you’re my best friend always. i won’t let anyone or anything tear us apart. stay safe please. i want you to come back one day for me, and i want you to be just like you were when you left. happy, and healthy. write back soon, i don’t want to be lonely anymore. 

still your friend too, wonwoo

 

wonwoo dreams with mingyu. he dreams that they’re swimming in the ocean. 

they swim and swim and don’t get anywhere.  
it’s just them.  
they swim and swim and don’t get anywhere.  
him and his best friend.  
they swim and swim and don’t get anywhere.

two weeks pass and wonwoo doesn’t get any letters. he cries every night, and doesn’t sleep well. but boys don’t cry, so he lets himself be sad, only getting out of bed to check the mail or go to the ocean.

one day, wonwoo decides to go to mingyu. he takes his dad’s boat. he paddles out as far as he can, until he sees nothing. just the ocean. 

the ocean that caused him so much pain.

his shoulders and head feel hot… really hot. he feels thirsty and tired. he can’t paddle anymore. he wants to keep going. he wants to find mingyu, but it hurts. he can’t move anymore. 

he feels himself drift, until suddenly he is sleeping.

wonwoo squints his eyes open. he sees another letter on the floor of the small boat. he reaches out a weak arm to grab it, and reads it through squinted eyes. 

 

dear wonwoo,

i’m so happy you’re coming to me. i knew we’d see each other again. 

your friend, mingyu 

 

wonwoo smiles and falls back asleep, and when he wakes up, he’s not in the boat anymore. he’s with mingyu. 

in a place in the clouds… could this be the heaven he’d always heard about? the one they talked about in church?

would he finally be at peace? happy with the person he loved most in the world?

“hi, wonwoo. we’ll be together forever now.” mingyu said, smiling at his friend. “i promised you.”

wonwoo nodded. “i knew they were wrong, gyu. i always knew.”

 

they find wonwoo in the boat, floating in the ocean two days later. 

everyone cries, but not his father.

his son is happy now.

**Author's Note:**

> hello this is actually based off of a cuban book called "las cartas de alain" it's a beautiful story really similar to this one, but there are many things i changed. 
> 
> hope you all enjoyed. this is my first attempt at angst, although i dont even know if this is that angsty. if theres any warnings or tags i should put please let me know since i don't really know if this is that heavy or not. 
> 
> leave a comment and kudos if you'd like- they'd be much appreciated! thank u~


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